EPA Environmental News
March 2, 1998

For Immediate Release

PHILADELPHIA -The cleanup of the contaminated soils
at the Drake Chemical Superfund Site will begin Wednesday, March 4, when
the first load of soil will be fed into the incinerator.

The long-delayed cleanup of the former industrial site is expected to
take at least 18 months to complete.

In preparation for possible startup the incinerator burners were turned
on Saturday, 21 February in order to heat up the kilns and, run final
safety and operational checks on the equipment.

The EPA delayed the start of the project, originally scheduled for February
14, in order to thoroughly review and evaluate the questions and concerns
raised by the community at the public meeting in Lock Haven on February
10.

The EPA, along with their partners at the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have reviewed
the comments and concerns of the local citizens, and have concluded that
the operation of the incinerator will not present a public health or environmental
problem.

The responses to the public comments are available at the three Information
Repositories in Lock Haven.